Health Tips - February

Staying healthy can sometimes feel like too much of an effort, it can feel too hard to change your current lifestyle to a more healthy one. However there some simple and easy changes you can do to your lifestyle your body will thank you for. Whether it be in the weekly workout, eating or sleeping, the changes below can benefit
your well-being .

Focus on lifting weights – Especially barbells and
dumbbells

Increasing muscles mass results in a greater resting metabolic rate (faster
metabolism). This will help you to burn calories hours and even days after your
training session.
- Try swapping machines to barbells and barbells for dumbbells.

Include HIIT

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is more effective than steady state cardio
for fat-loss.
- Choose a piece of cardio equipment, such as a bike or rower, and try 30s high
intensity followed by a 60s very easy recovery period.
- Progress over time by decreasing the recovery period and increasing the
intensity of the work sets.

Time your rest periods

Shorter rest periods will increase your post-workout calorie burning capacity.
Keep in mind that rest periods are important so don’t omit them from your
workout entirely.
- Try supersets, rest periods <30 seconds or adding in some cardio in between
sets (such as skipping or jumping jacks).

Prioritize sleep

While it's easy to put all your fat-loss focus on nutrition and exercise, don't
underestimate the importance of sleep.
Sleep has a major impact on gym performance but it’s just as important in
aiding your body’s ability to recover and burn fat.
- Aim for 7-9 hours per night and try to avoid any electronic devices an hour
before bed.
- Improve sleep quality by wearing an eye mask and earplugs.

Banish Sugar

Not only does sugar place a high demand on the pancreas and liver, leading to
an array of metabolic and inflammatory disorders, it is highly addictive. Meaning
eating sugar increases your cravings for more sugar. By eliminating sugar from
your diet your cravings will eventually disappear!
- Try eliminating sugar from your diet for 21 days, it’s not as hard as it sounds!
- Keep your blood sugar stable by regularly having smaller meals throughout
the day.
- Including protein, good fats and complex carbohydrates
in your meals will not only keep you fuller for longer but
ensure you keep your blood sugar levels stable.